Director of photography Jim Knowlton has been shooting video and directing video productions for over 20 years on projects for television, commercials, documentaries, and short films. Video shot by Jim has appeared in programs on Shark Week, Nat Geo TV, PBS, and in award-winning documentaries and short films.
Director of Photography on Expeditions
Jim has led expeditions and guided crews on numerous projects to capture video to promote corporations, products, tourism, and for short films and documentaries. He’s shot professionally in Hawaii, California, Florida, North Carolina, Massachusetts, Virginia, the Tortugas, Mexico, Peru, Iceland, Fiji, American Samoa, and the Bahamas.
Studio Video Production Gear
Jim Knowlton owns and manages a complete production package with cameras, lenses, tripods, lights, sound equipment, a teleprompter, and more. Jim partners with a local studio to provide a space for interviews that can be converted into a green screen studio for productions that want to remove the background.
Underwater Video
Jim Knowlton has been shooting underwater videos for decades. He currently shoots a Canon R5 camera in an Aquatica underwater housing with daylight-balanced lights. He has also shot with Sony and RED cameras, and he can rent the camera of your choice. Contact Jim Knowlton for more information. Jim is an expert diver with thousands of dives, and he has worked for many years on the ocean – so he is at home on the ocean as he is on land.
Drone Operator
Jim Knowlton is an FAA Part 107 licensed drone operator and he has the experience to get the shots you need for your project. Jim has shoot aerial drone video for documentaries, commercials, short films, and real estate videos. Jim is a member of the NOAA Large Whale Disentanglement Team where he is trained to shoot video above entangled whales to help the team understand what gear is wrapped around a whale.
Filming with Jean-Michel Cousteau in the Gulf of California
Blue Ocean Productions owner and underwater cinematographer Jim Knowlton traveled to the Gulf of California, Mexico, with renowned ocean explorer Jean-Michel Cousteau to film the region’s extraordinary marine life. Working both underwater and topside, Jim documented an incredible diversity of species, including whales, dolphins, whale sharks, sea lions, colorful reef fish, nudibranchs, sea stars, and other marine life found in one of the world’s richest ocean ecosystems.
Following the expedition, Jim helped produce Ocean Treasures, a promotional film created to support plans for a future IMAX documentary showcasing the Gulf of California’s remarkable biodiversity. Expeditions like this combine underwater cinematography, marine wildlife filmmaking, and conservation storytelling to inspire audiences while highlighting the importance of protecting our oceans.
Jim was director of underwater photography for Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom series on the Kelp Forest Ecosystem. Jim shot at the California Channel Islands to capture these epic kelp forest scenes. You can see episodes of this series here:
Jim was director of photography on an expedition to Swains Island along with Jean-Michel Cousteau and a team of scientists. He shot video an underwater video and returned from the trip to write and edit “Swains Island – One of the Last Jewels of the Planet.” The film won the Top People and the Sea award at the Blue Ocean Film Festival in Florida. You can read more about this on our Vlog post:
For project examples where Jim was director of photography, visit these Vlog posts:
